Among the anxiety-related processes typically studied empirically, the ability to recognize emotion is an important proxy for psychopathology. Neuroimaging studies have shown that the ability to process emotional stimuli requires coordinated activity between the amygdala, insula, and prefrontal cortical regions. Individuals who suffer from anxiety disorders exhibit an impaired ability to recognize facial emotion, which has been associated with aberrant amygdala activation. Importantly with respect to pharmacological manipulation of anxiety-related brain function, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies examining the neural correlates of emotional processing by employing acute challenge with potent anxiolytics have demonstrated significant reductions in the blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal within the amygdala and insula.